Aliens - Part 2.5?

So it looks like this is really happening.

Alien redefined horror and sci-fi, and is an all-time great. Aliens was the rare sequel that improved upon its predecessor, and remains my all-time favorite movie. Then things went a little haywire. Beloved characters were cut from the storyline, an ending was undone with a clone/hybrid resurrection, predators were brought into the fray, and the man who started it all did a prequel that refused to be a prequel.

Amidst all this mess, countless storylines exist in Alien-verse fiction and online in the form of dead screenplays. Some of the ideas are unbelievably fantastic (read Earth Hive), and many fans wonder what might have been.

One of those fans is Neill Blomkamp, the South African director who hit an absolute grand slam with District 9, and then made an amazing looking movie short on story in Elysium. Amidst all his press for his upcoming new movie, Chappie, questions arose about his interest in the Alien franchise. This arose from his own tweets showcasing concept art he made personally regarding Alien. Apparently, in his free time he fleshed out a full concept for a new Alien movie and did the artwork. This without any knowledge by Fox Studios. Initially, he said the project was just for fun and was dead. Then suddenly... The project has been greenlit by Fox! Then, he made some very interesting comments about where the movie would fit into the franchise. And now, he has clarified those comments.

So first off... HELL YES!

Next, what can we glean about the potential plot from the artwork and comments by Blomkamp? We know the movie is set after Aliens, and essentially disregards Alien 3 and 4. We also know Sigourney Weaver will again play Ripley. Weaver is 30 years older than her appearance in Aliens, so that has to be taken into account. People don't age in hypersleep, so could she have made it back home? We also know that Blomkamp LOVES to set his movies in South Africa. Could this potentially introduce an Alien to Earth?

We'll just have to hang on for more details. I'm sure many more will come out soon, once Chappie gets through it's press phase.

Lookout for DRONES!!!

So the FAA and Obama administration made news this week with new guidelines for commercial drone usage as well as defining their role more clearly in military use. That on the heels of announcements that driver-less cars are now being tested in England, Amazon wants to use drones to deliver packages, and Tesla now has an autopilot mode for it's cars.

Yes, the day that we are subservient to our computer overlords (Colossus, Terminator, Wargames, Matrix, Transcendence...) is fast approaching. So what is a person to do as this inevitability approaches? EMBRACE IT WITH A SMILE!!!

Ali bought me a Parrot MiniDrone Rolling Spider as a Valentine's Day gift this year. Totally awesome gift. We exchanged gifts on Thursday night (we had a charity dinner Friday and I was on-call all weekend), so I didn't get a chance to play with it until Saturday afternoon. Saturday, I opened it and charged it up. While charging, I went online and watched all the video tutorials on flight controls. I downloaded the FreeFlight3 control software (you use your mobile or tablet as your controller) and then gave it a spin. The cool thing about this little guy is that it has protective wheels that can attach for indoor flight, so you don't damage it too much in a crash. Great for indoor practice. So I took it for a few spins around the house. I actually got quite good, and started taking some overhead pics with it's built-in camera (see above).

But I was really savoring the chance to get this bad boy outside, without concern for crashing into walls and lamps. Sunday afternoon was my chance. We had beautiful, sunny weather with almost no wind. Granted it was 35 degrees, but as good as it's been for a month here! So I put on a hat and took my MiniDrone outside for it's first test flight in the backyard. Here's what happened:

First, I set the flight ceiling at 9m. That can be controlled on the remote software settings. It only has a 20m range, so I thought that allowed for a good height from which to snap a few overhead yard pics. Next, I laid it down on the pool deck flat with enough room around for maneuvering. Then I hit the Takeoff button on the controller. The MiniDrone took flight and hovered at eye level. That's a nice feature for taking off, as it gets you flying very easily. Next, I used the altitude control pad (left control area on the software) to raise it up. Unlike indoors, the drone literally took off like a ROCKET straight up at a bit of an angle away from the house. Literally in 2 seconds, I lost sight of it. In 5 seconds, I couldn't hear it anymore. In 7 seconds, my iPhone reported that connection had been lost. Obviously, it had flown farther than the 20m range. All the while, I am frantically trying to lower the altitude. It happened so fast, I never had a chance to hit the Landing or Emergency buttons to bring it right down.

After that, I took Ava and Molly with me and we walked a grid along the last known heading. No drone in the field behind us. Beyond that, the lake was frozen solid. No drone on the ice. Beyond that, the woods. It was gone.

Dejected, I went back inside. I admitted to Ali my awful news. She took it well. I wrote a long email to the Parrot customer service department explaining what happened. I cannot figure out why it would ascend uncontrollably, beyond the max height I had set. They suggested it may have been interference with the controller or the altitude sensor in the MiniDrone. They offered to replace it. Good on them. I will take them up on that offer.

As for my lost MiniDrone, I like to think it's in a better place now. It has flown off to join his friends as they prepare for our annihilation.

Saints Lose, But Saints Fan is the Big Loser

So it's a rare NFL-themed post today on a topic I just couldn't resist any longer! Sunday was a matchup between the two NFL teams I love and follow. My hometown Bengals were visiting my hometown-through-marriage Saints. I'm sure Ali's Dad had a front row view of this critical game between two horribly underachieving teams.

So the Bengals had an impressive road win, but their performance was overshadowed by an event that happened in the stands after a Dalton to Gresham TD. Gresham spotted two Bengals fans in the endzone seats and walked over, tossing the ball to the female fan who was reaching for it. That's when an old Saints fan rose up and snatched the ball in mid-air, elbowing the female Bengals fan in the face in the process. Cameras moved in and recorded every second as the female fan begged for the ball, while the Saints fan sat in his seat shaking his head with a death grip on the ball.

Although the Bengals fan (visiting from Kentucky) was eventually given a game ball by the Saints and another Gresham signed ball by the Bengals (as well as a lot of media time and some other free gear), her plight was picked up nationally. Of course, the Saints fan was painted as the villain and has been vilified in the national media since then. NOLA news quickly identified the man and his and his family's life has been shit since then. He claims the ball was for his grandson, and that may be the case.

So I was rooting for the Bengals in this game. I live in Cincinnati. I initially was pissed at the Saints fan too, and considered him a total jerk. I agreed with all the media outlets and accepted the story. But upon further review, I'm siding with the Saints fan on this one!



If you watch the full video, you'll notice something that NOT ONE MEDIA STORY has pointed out. This Bengals fan wasn't in her seat! You can clearly see the Saints fan is seated in the front row in an end/aisle seat. At some point during or after the TD play, the two Bengals fans ran down from their seats higher up in the section to cheer/beg for a ball. Having been to a lot of sporting events in my day, nothing ruins your fun quicker than other fans intruding into your space. How would you like to have kick-ass front row seats only to have to deal with idiots in the aisle the whole game? What about idiots leaning into your seat? This guys had every right to get that ball. Those two girls should have never even been there. Ushers need to regulate and keep the aisles clear of fans during the game. The aisle isn't their accessory front row seat.

So lay off the poor Saints fan. Throw the blame where it belongs - at inconsiderate, rude Bengals fans infringing on the awesome seats of a front row (likely season ticket holding) Saints fan. Saints need to get this dude some free gear and show him a little love publicly.

Elimination Saturday

For those overly concerned about the Playoff and how their team will make it in, this weekend offers a big dose of reality. No, no Playoff spots will be clinched. However, several teams WILL be eliminated from contention.

Right now, 2 teams are undefeated. Until they lose, they are in. The mad scramble for position is among the 1-loss teams. Every 1-loss Power 5 team, including Notre Dame, theoretically has a shot. Lose a 2nd game, and you are essentially eliminated. Last week, Ole Miss, Georgia and Arizona kissed their Playoff chances goodbye. This week, while a surprise or 2 may happen, matchups demand that no less than 3 teams will be eliminated.

Kansas State @ TCU
Two 1-loss Top-10 teams face off. The winner takes a huge step toward the Playoffs. The loser is done. Based upon their remaining schedules, I think we have to root HARD for KSU. TCU's remaining schedule is a joke. KSU still plays @ WVU and @ Baylor.

Ohio State @ Michigan State
I think we have to root for OSU in this one. I don't think they jump us with a win, but it's certain we'll never jump MSU should they win out. Plus, I think OSU could easily lose to Nebraska in the B1G Championship.

Notre Dame @ Arizona State
Do I have to explain who we need to win this one?

Other potential upsets that we need to root for this weekend:

• A&M over Auburn
• Utah over Oregon
• LSU over Alabama
• Oklahoma over Baylor

College Football is Rigged

On the day of the FIRST EVER College Football Playoff Rankings, I thought it would be fun to jump all over ESPN and the SEC, who may have 3 top 4 teams in the rankings tonight. Let's do an exercise tracking the SEC teams over the first 10 weeks of the season. I'll stick with the AP Poll, since the Coaches Poll is a bunch of self-serving bastards!

So what is the point? It's this: that you can't overcome the SEC because the rankings don't allow it. 8 ranked teams to start the season stacks the deck. Then, they climb in the rankings by destroying powerhouses like Lamar, SMU, Florida Atlantic, Southern Miss, LA Lafayette, Sam Houston, and more. When they finally get around to playing each other, a loss doesn't hurt because, "SHUCKS, we lost to a great SEC team". Texas A&M is a great example. They flew up the rankings by beating currently unranked South Carolina and then Lamar, Rice and SMU - IN CONSECUTIVE WEEKS!!! When they finally played an actual team in Miss State, they lost and dropped to 14. It took 3 straight losses to finally get them out of the rankings.

I don't see the SEC tearing up anyone from any other Power 5 conferences this season. They lost the few Power 5 matchups they played (Tennesse to Oklahoma, Missouri to Indiana). There is no way to say they are any better than any other conference in the NCAA. Do you want to claim past performance by the SEC in the BCS? Okay, how do you then account for upstarts Ole Miss and Miss State? If we want to use past performance, then these guys were #18 and unranked preseason, with long histories of futility. Suddenly, they are the darlings of the SEC, and we should just assume they are great? You can't have it both ways SEC fans! If you want past-performance to matter, than you have to discount schools that previously stunk.

Look, I'm not stupid. I realize the SEC has some good teams every year. However, most of them are extremely flawed. If you really look at it, the SEC is Alabama, an all-time great dynasty right now. Occasionally, an upstart Auburn or LSU sneaks through, but the conference as a whole is no better than any other.

What really gives it an edge though is money. The head coaches make more than anyone else (Saban earned $7M this year AND got a $3M house paid for by boosters). The assistants make more than most head coaches (why Biliema left Wisconsin). We also know the players get their share. Too many stories about Cam's dad and players flashing cash in selfies to ignore. Where there's smoke, there's fire. Finally, the Universities just THROW cash at the football programs. 

So we'll see what happens tonight. I predict Miss St, FSU, Alabama and Auburn are ranked at the top. ND will be in the pack of 1-loss teams that have to keep their fingers crossed. I think Oregon will edge us for #5, and we'll slide in at #6 ahead of Michigan State.

Well, F(S)Uck

That was about as bad as it gets. I think it literally is as bad as the 2005 USC (Bush Push) game. We had the victory, only to have it taken away from us by factors beyond our control - in this case the refs.

While this game convinced me that we could go toe-to-toe with any team in the country, I think the media and Playoff committee may see it differently. We dropped to #7 in the AP Poll and #8 in the Coaches Poll. I realize that these polls are now meaningless for determining a champion or playoff team, but they are a pretty good indicator of how the teams stack up.

The Playoff picture is coming into focus now. Barring more than a few miraculous upsets (which certainly could happen), the inaugural College Football Playoff looks like this:

1. SEC Champ
2. FSU
3. SEC West Runner-up
4. Wide Open

While the #1 seed could go back to FSU should the SEC champ incur a loss, those two will be #1 and #2. The runner-up in the SEC West will get the #3 seed. Likely it will be a 1-loss team, but a 2-loss runner-up likely gets the nod anyway, although they would get the #4 seed. The SEC East champ will be eliminated with the extra loss in the SEC Championship.

So that gets us to the interesting part. Right now, the teams in contention are Michigan State, Oregon and Notre Dame. The AP and Coaches polls have these teams completely flipped, so good luck trying to decide who gets in if each win out. I think a 1-loss conference champion from either the B1G or Pac-12 would get the nod over ND. Conference championships are a playoff criterion. (As an aside, the Big 12 is out. Horrible conference with no defense, and down in the rankings.)

So if ND wants to make the Playoff, we have to hope for 2 things: a loss by Michigan State and a loss by Oregon. Then, we take care of business and win out. There is no way we jump either with 1-loss no matter what our strength of schedule is. They won't easily leave 3 of 5 Power 5 conference champs out of a 4-team playoff.

There is one wrinkle left. I could see Ohio State leapfrogging us if they win out and win the B1G. Keep an eye on that.

ND v. FSU

Even after the pretty lackluster performance Saturday against North Carolina, I still feel like Notre Dame can pull off the upset in Tallahassee against Florida State. And as the days pass, I'm becoming more and more convinced that the best chance for that to happen is if Jameis Winston is their quarterback on Saturday. Here's my logic...

If Winston is suspended, the team starts to rally together and develop an us-against-the-world mentality. They have confidence in the backup after the Clemson game, so they know they can win without Winston and now they have a ton of motivation. They've also just been dropped from their perch at #1 down to #3 so they'll definitely have the whole, "No one gives us any respect" card to play as well. That can't carry you through a season, usually, but it can be enough to go crazy on emotion for one game and pull off the improbable.

If Winston plays, it's with the weight of his looming autograph scandal and his student code of ethics trial for his alleged sexual assault two years ago. I really believe Winston gives zero fucks about either of these issues, but they are a huge distraction to him and the team. The focus is completely on answering questions about these items and less about the game Saturday. He and the team will say all the right things about just being focused on Notre Dame, but you know it's a cloud and you know it will be an impact. And if he gets rattled early (which would be nice to have happen to an opposing quarterback, for a change) the wheels can really come off.

So I'm counterintuitively rooting for Winston to be available. Although, to reference my post from last week, should Notre Dame pull off the upset, the storyline quickly shifts to how Florida State was distracted by the events heading into the week and Notre Dame will get a big asterisk next to this victory and will still need to prove themselves against Arizona State, Louisville, and Southern Cal...

Outcomes Change the Narrative

Everett Golson and Ben Koyack saved my anniversary dinner. On our way to dinner we listened to Stanford's fourth quarter touchdown to take the lead then walked to a bar to watch Notre Dame's last ditch effort. The rest is history and I was able to enjoy my lobster pot and the wife her first crab cakes in 3 years, along with an exceptional butternut squash lobster bisque.

As we sat at home afterwards and watched the chaos of Saturday unfold (with an eye on the Nationals as they went into extra innings), Steph turned to me and said, "You're just staying up so you can watch the highlights and see what everyone says about the Notre Dame game." Of course I was! I couldn't wait to see everyone have to begrudgingly accept that maybe, just maybe, Notre Dame has a decent team this year.

Heading into the game all the talk was about Stanford's number one defense in multiple categories and Stanford's "hit-you-in-the-mouth" offense featuring the explosive Ty Montgomery. How could Notre Dame possibly deal with that? Most were picking Stanford.

Well, Notre Dame dealt with it. And could've made this a snorefest if a) Golson didn't gift Stanford a touchdown with a fumble on his on 10 yard line, b) Golson didn't give away potentially 7 points with an interception on Stanford's 2 yard line, and c) Notre Dame doesn't throw away 6 points on two bobbled field goal holds.

So I was eager to see Notre Dame's acceptance. But it never came.

Instead the story of the game became Stanford's inept offense. Every major college sportswriter not affiliated with Notre Dame took this angle or simply didn't mention the highly anticipated game between the 9th and 14th ranked teams in the country.

You know, you absolutely just know, that had Stanford held on to win this game gets a LOT more mention, even with all the craziness that occurred in the CFB world on Saturday. You know the talk turns to Notre Dame still not being tough enough. Of their early season success just being an aberration due to a weak schedule (one that, FWIW, many were calling the hardest in the country before the season started).

I don't know why I get worked up. This happens year after year after year. I should be used to it by now, but I always just expect things will change. Oh well, maybe if Notre Dame can pull the upset in Tallahassee they'll make some noise, but based on history the story will just change to how Florida State isn't the same team it was last year and was due for a loss.

ND Hodge Podge

We hit the real start of the football season this weekend as Stanford comes to town. I thought I'd take the opportunity to discuss a few ND topics of interest...

The Five
So the ND Honor Code finally held the hearings for the 5 ND football players this week. They should have their ruling within the next week, as early as today. Much mental anguish has been thrown around the interwebs with regards to ND admin's slow pace in resolving this situation. Here's what you need to know.

• ND does and always will place academics above everything else. Sports are a distant 2nd at best, and may be 3rd with the Catholic identity edging it out for 2nd.
• The pace of this investigation has been slow, but ND will NOT mess this up. 
• There has been no special treatment because these are football players.
• Clearly, these 5 players did something wrong. How bad their mistake was is the subject of the investigation and hearings. So if anyone (including them) wants to complain, they need to remember that it was the players who started this mess.

Much of the complaining has to do with the fact that they are being held out of football activities. Guilty until proven innocent. A typical complaint goes like this, "If they are exonerated, they were punished by missing over a quarter of the season for nothing!" While I agree that it doesn't make sense to take this extreme step (at least let them practice), you have to understand history. This situation involves a paid student employee of the athletic department. What her involvement is, we don't know. However, if you recall the one and only time ND received NCAA probation, it was because Kim Dunbar gave gifts to a player she was dating. The NCAA determined she was a booster because she paid $25 to go to a QB club luncheon. So that is why ND self-reported the current situation to the NCAA. I doubt this will have any NCAA implications, but ND will take no chances on getting a penalty. I think their deliberate approach to this situation will make that very unlikely.

ACC and Scheduling
I am loving our association with the ACC. We have 5 power conference games locked in. They rotate to new ACC sites every year. Lots of new opponents and stadiums to check out. It covers HOT spots we need for recruiting. Our Bowl opportunities are better than ever. Looking ahead, it look like Swarbrick is looking to diversify the schedule. We have series scheduled against Georgia, Texas, A&M and OSU. I envision a future in which we hopefully play one team from each power conference every year. Without a conference championship, we need to be able to compare ourselves to other conferences for playoff selection. An ideal future schedule format:

• 5 ACC teams
• 2 Pac 12 (USC, Stanford)
• 2 B1G (rotate Purdue/MSU and occasional OSU or Michigan)
• 1 SEC (Georgia and A&M currently)
• 1 Big 12 (Texas coming up)
• 1 Navy

Stanford
I see almost everyone seems to be picking Stanford to pop ND's bubble. I can't even believe it. The pure ignorance is mind-numbing. Go back to 2012 and read my preview of the ND Oklahoma game. I hit it dead on. I don't often make predictions, but this one seems too easy.

• ND is better than 2013.
• Stanford is worse than 2013.
• ND lost 27-20 at Stanford in 2013.
• That loss was aided by 2 4th Q picks by Tommy Rees.
• Our QB is now Golson who can make plays.
• The game is at Notre Dame.

It seems pretty obvious we should at least be favored in this game. Stanford isn't the bruising juggernaut of the past 5 years. They are in transition. I think our O is good for a few scores, and I don't see them taking advantage of our solid D. I call ND victory 24-13.

Season Prospects
So the inevitable question. Do we make the Playoff? Clearly it is too early to make that call. A big win this week helps a LOT. FSU may be the season. We also cannot slip up against AZST and USC. I'll be all-in if we beat FSU, and we will be in prime position if that happens. A close loss to FSU keeps us alive, but the only way we get in with 1 loss is if we look better than the Big 12 and B1G champions. I don't see that happening. Assuming we are 11-1 with a loss to FSU, FSU is in. Whomever wins the SEC is in. Whomever wins the Pac 12 is in. The B1G is down, and could lose out. A 1 loss MSU will be difficult to skip in favor of ND. Conference Championships are a big criteria. Even tougher is Oklahoma should they win out or have 1 loss. If we beat FSU and them stumble late, we could edge out FSU with 1 loss. That may be our best shot, but it has always been tough to overcome a late season loss. I think the only way we get in as an independent is undefeated. Some hard years ahead until the Playoff expands to 8.

Roger Goodell Is Now the Scapegoat

I am going to take a very unpopular position here. I am going to defend the NFL and Roger Goodell in their mishandling of the Ray Rice domestic violence suspension.

The NFL is a microcosm of America. There are overwhelmingly good people in the league. There are also bad people. Cheaters, drug users, alcoholics, murderers, rapists and (as brought vividly to the public conscience with an elevator security cam) wife/woman beaters. In this respect, the NFL is no different from any other field of employment in America, be it teachers, politicians, doctors or whatever. The big difference is that the NFL is almost completely in the public eye. (That and the multibillion dollar revenue, which we'll get back to.)

So is it any wonder that the Ravens and the NFL woefully mishandled the Ray Rice situation? The legal system struggles mightily with sexual assault and domestic violence issues. Just look at the Ray Rice case. His fiancee (whom he has since married) did not press charges and strongly supported him. I'm not saying that makes it OK. I realize that part of the problem is that many women feel that they deserve this or are willing to ignore it for love, money, stability or whatever. That puts a prosecution in a tough spot. Ray Rice avoided jail time and got pre-trial intervention, with the charges likely to be expunged.

So what is the NFL to do? The prosecutors gave him a slap on the wrist. His wife sat by his side and pled for lenience. Rice fully admitted to what he did and said he is in counseling to get help. Goodell gave him 2 weeks suspension. He could have given him more, but what is the precedent? It's more than the legal system did.

Obviously, that wasn't enough, and the subsequent release of the in-elevator view has sparked a firestorm of what did who know when. It doesn't matter. This is a position that the NFL, or any other workplace cannot win in.

I think Goodell's biggest mistake is taking on the role of sheriff  when he became commissioner. There is no way to clean up the NFL, just liek there is no way to clean up America or any society. There are going to be bad eggs. It's an impossible standard for Goodell to be judge, jury and executioner for everyone in the NFL. Just look at our legal system to see how complicated it has become to simply dole out justice in America. The NFL is a SPORT!!! It's not a courtroom.

My solution to this mess if I am advising the NFL? I think Roger Goodell should step back from his role as moral policeman of the NFL. As commissioner, he should review and dole out punishment regarding on-field issues only. PEDs, drug use, blows to the head, spygate, bounties. Anything off the field would be a legal matter. Then, each individual team would be free to decide if a player needs any additional punishment - just like any other employer. In this case, Ray Rice would have been fired from almost any job if this had come to light. If the Ravens decided to keep him to make the team better, they would be BLASTED by fans and media, and would feel an impact financially. No different than if a teacher put his wife in the hospital. He'd be fired.

In no way is this a defense of Ray Rice or what he did. Make that point clear. I am just trying to say that Roger Goodell and the NFL have painted themselves into a corner. It's an impossible task for them to maintain, but they have tried to do this because of the money. They want to protect and grow the game, but you can never prevent the bad apples from doing bad things. I think America is well beyond the naive mindset that puts football players on a pedestal. Most reasonable people realize football players have the same problems as the rest of society.

Let's let society deal with the players when they do wrong. Let the NFL stick to football.